Dead End
by SushiSushiKid
Summary: When unexplainable things start to happen in the city, Ellis and Keith are pretty much unaffected. Until those things drop on their doorstep. Now Keith is gone, and Ellis just knows that he's still alive. Somewhere.
1. Goodbye, Keith

A/N: Before I start, I'd like to say that it's been...what, three years since I had one of these? Heh. Yeah. Well I originally was only going to keep this story on DeviantArt, but I decided, hey, why not. So Ellis, Coach, Nick, Rochelle, and Keith belong to Valve. Everyone else is mine.

* * *

"Gettin' late, Ellis."

Two men sat by a wooden table topped with a small white TV in an abandoned auto garage. A beat up car sat idle near the wall, rusting from dirty water that leaked from the roof.

A late night breeze was blowing in through the open garage door, ruffling papers and rattling empty beer cans. The sky was filled to the brim with stars, some red and some yellow.

But something in the air stunk; though neither one of them had noticed. They were used to stink, working in a garage all day and night.

One man had a mechanics suit on; the other had a yellow T-shirt under a pair of overalls. On his head, he wore a blue baseball hat with a picture of a truck printed on it.

The suited one walked towards the TV and turned up the volume. His speed-suit had _Keith_ embroidered onto the chest.

"You goin' home?" Ellis watched him pull up a seat and start flipping through the static-blurred channels.

"Nah, not today. My girl's still mad at me," he pinched the skin between his brow. After a minute or so of holding his breath, he exhaled and looked at his friend. "Can you believe it? Alls I did was look'it another chick. Not my fault she was wearin' short-shorts and a thong. Bitch kicked me out of my own home."

"Ya'll should learn ta' hide it better."

"Ah, hell, I don't give a fuck. Now shut it, Simpsons is on."

Ellis sat and watched. He stole glances at Keith every once in a while, keeping his head low so as Keith wouldn't notice. Keith laughed at the TV, and nervously Ellis did too.

The two mechanics sat through the whole marathon without saying a word to each other.

Half an hour later, the sun was starting to stain the sky a deep navy blue. Birds usually started to get frantic this time of night, but not today; the streets were dead silent.

"Keith?" Ellis said carefully during a commercial.

"What'chu want?"

"Turn on the news."

Keith switched the channel and a black woman was shown through a white snow of static. Ellis adjusted the antenna until the picture was clear, and she could be seen standing in front of a green plastic tent, her form illuminated by a street light. The sun seemed to be hidden just under the horizon.

"This is Rochelle, reporting from downtown near Liberty Mall. It is unknown what is happening here in the Savannah, but we're trying our best to figure it out. It seems a disease is spreading around the country, but doctors are unable to figure out the cause."

Keith smirked and licked his lips. "Mm, I'd fuck that."

Ellis snickered and stood to fetch a beer. "Tha's why you can't hold down a girlfrien'. Didn't even know you were into them types."

Keith held his finger to his mouth and turned back to the TV.

"I understand it's incurable, is that correct, Rochelle?" The anchorman spoke to Rochelle as she held her earpiece to her ear.

"That's correct, Tom. Now, our news station is the only one with a reporter on duty, even if it's a rookie like me. My first report, and I'm standin in the middle of a quarantine."

She shook her head in shame.

"Anyway, it seems that friends and family members are viciously attacking one another. We've not been able to obtain an infected person to test antidotes, but we do know that they are dangerous. Stay away from infected individuals. If you think you are infected, barricade yourself from your loved ones. Contact the police, and await further instruction. Hopefully this won't go too far."

"Agreed, Rochelle. Alright, back to our weatherman. Sounds like rain sometime the next week, am I right, Jeff?"

Ellis returned and tossed a can to Keith. "You stayin' here the rest o' tonight?" Keith asked his friend. Ellis shrugged.

"I spose. I ain't got nothin' better to do."

"Ain't chu got a girlfrien'?"

Ellis chuckled and took a gulp from his beer. "Nah. I'm too afraid of them chicks at those crazy bars you tol' me 'bout, an' I don't think I got the guts to ask out Michelle."

"Tha's okay, Ellis. You too young for a girlfrien', anyhow."

The sound of an engine echoed through the alleyway outside. The men glanced at each other and switched off the volume on the TV. Strangely, they hadn't seen a customer for days. Keith was beginning to think that their business was doomed.

A rusty car rolled in slowly and sat next to the other car for a moment, filling the garage with the rancid smell of gasoline and mold. Then the engine switched off and someone opened the driver's side door.

Out stumbled a man, blood gushing from every hole in his face. He staggered forward and red splattered all over the cement.

Ellis gasped and dropped his beer, which spilled across his own feet.

"The fuck?!" Keith shouted as the man stumbled towards the ground. He stepped backwards out of fear and the man pummeled to the ground. "What the fuck? Is this what they're talkin' bout?"

Ellis watched in horror as the man on the floor squirmed and thrashed. He was moaning in pain and exasperation, but all they could do for him was watch.

"We gonna call the police or just stand there an' stare?" Keith yelled, jogging to the back room where they kept an old phone. Ellis heard the door open and Keith viciously dialing the keys.

Ellis kneeled down. "It's okay, man. We goin' to get you some help. Can you tell me what happened? What's your name?"

The man rolled over and looked at him without responding. Keith started yelling from the back room.

"Shit! Are you fuckin' serious?!"

Ellis, out of curiosity, dug the wallet out of the man's jeans and peeked at his driver's license. It had a nice looking picture and the name stated 'Dan Small'. He was thirty-four.

"Dan?" Ellis touched his face. "Dan, stay with me now, ya hear? You gonna wanna fall asleep, but I can't let you do that. I ain't goin'a let chu die. Just stay..." he grunted and pulled Dan into his lap. "...awakey-wakey."

Keith came back with his fingers entangled in his sandy blonde hair.

"Disengaged. Fuckin' hate cops."

He stopped and looked at Ellis for a brief moment, who was stroking Dan's hair with one hand and holding his wallet with the other. Keith crossed his arms and moved closer.

"He got any money?"

"What?"

"I said, do he got any money?" he repeated slowly.

Ellis looked at him with those beautiful, confused green eyes. "Keith, I don' think tha's entirely right-"

"Look, Ellis. We don't got many customers comin' in here. This is the only job we got, so whether you like it or not, we takin' this faggot's money." Keith stepped closer and snatched the wallet out of Ellis's hand.

Ellis slowly looked from his empty hand to the man on his lap. "Oh...awright," he said as if in realization.

"He got two hundred bucks. This oughta hold us for a month 'er two." Keith tossed the wallet onto Dan's chest. "Hehe, gotta wonder what kinda pimp this man was."

He pocketed the money and moved back to the TV. The volume returned.

"And here's Rochelle once more, with breaking news."

"Thanks, Tom. We have just received instructions from the government that civilians are to immediately be evacuated from homes and apartments. Nowhere is safe anymore. We have been told to head towards one of the many CEDA evac stations around the state."

Ellis turned towards the TV to watch, when suddenly, a man tackled the african-american reporter to the ground, along with her camera. All that was seen were his legs on top of her grey boots as she struggled and thrashed against him. Her screams could be heard as she called for Tom to send help. There was no reply from the anchorman and the TV cut to the rainbow bars that indicate the signal has dropped.

The two looked at each other nervously.

"You reckon we go ou'side?" Keith asked, brow furrowed in worry.

"Dunno, Keith. Whattabout poor Dan here?" Ellis smiled and Dan coughed blood onto his shirt. He frowned and Ellis wiped it with his wrist, his childish grin broadening. The sick man could only blink in gratitude.

"I'm going to see whu's going on." Keith walked towards the gaping garage door. He stepped onto the concrete of the alley, looked left, right. Ellis watched him carefully.

"I don' think anythin's out here-" he was cut off mid-sentence when a deafening roar echoed through the small alleyway. Ellis quickly stood, just as Dan's open jaw tried to clamp down on his tattooed arm. Dan fell to the floor, blood from his broken skull splattering everywhere.

The monster's scream was mimicked by Keith's own as he was suddenly charged at by something huge. He was forcefully grabbed by a giant arm and carried towards the right side of the alleyway, the side that led to a huge main street. As Keith's voice started to fade away, Ellis yelled for him and sprinted out of the door. He could only watch as his friend disappeared into the early pre-dawn fog.

* * *

"Oh, Keith, whut have we gotten ourselves into this time?"

The bright Georgia sun wasn't far above the horizon, yet Ellis felt the heat of the day coming on. His overall straps were now tied at his waste. He kind of thought they made him look like a dork, but in the end it didn't matter. Everyone in the whole city of Atlanta seemed to be gone.

He continued to trudge on through the empty streets in the way he thought his friend had gone.

"Heh, 'member that time when you got kidnapped by the mob? Yeah, I found you that time, Keith. That wus the most fun gunfight I done ever had."

He chuckled.

"Or was that a movie we watched? Aw, hell, Keith, I can't remember. Shit, I wisht you were here to help me." he pouted, his full lips pushed to the side and the inside of his cheek between his teeth. "Shit, shit, shit."

He looked up, shielding the sun with his right hand. "I mus' be goin North," he muttered. "Boy Scouts sure helped me wit' life."

Ellis stopped in the shadow of a Burger Tank sign, gathering his bearings and surroundings. It was still hot, but grey clouds were gathering in the East, perhaps threatening rain. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. Didn't matter. Weather was unpredictable in the Savannah.

Interrupting his train of thought, a strange scream was heard from inside the restaurant. It wasn't a scream for help; it was one for hunger. Lust. Ellis stared wide-eyed at the glass door, waiting for something to help him move his frozen muscles.

And there it was. A short, pink being burst through the glass and launched onto his face. He started screaming, stumbling back and forth, blinded by the claws of his rider. It was leaning forward, influencing the steps he took.

It drug him through the door, all the while Ellis screaming for help, and around the white tables a few times. The claws were beginning to dig into his broad nose, but they wouldn't come loose no matter how hard Ellis pulled. After several minutes of blind resistance, he stumbled over a chair and fell face first onto the floor.

He moaned in pain, rolling over and searching for the monster. His eyes began to swim in red as he planted his palm on the filthy tile. He struggled to crawl away from a pair of legs near the kitchen, assuming they were the legs of the creature. They looked blurry, red, but he could see a pair of black shoes. They looked kind of nice, Ellis could imagine them on a person, a real person.

They started to walk towards him, slowly, one foot at a time. Ellis was fighting the black mist that begun to sneak into the corners of his eyes. He blinked, opened them wide, blinked again. But as the shoes reached his fingertips, he lost the battle and tumbled into darkness.


	2. We're all saved

Rochelle hunched over and vomited on her deceased camera man. After she wiped her mouth, she tried again to look at what was once Jim. One leg from the camera tripod was lodged into his skull, the other two jammed in his neck. Yellow pus and blood oozed out around his body. And now he was covered in puke.

What a horrible sight.

"Oh my GOD." She stood slowly, tonguing the roof of her mouth. The vomit was still tastable.

The reporter wavered on her feet, gathering her thoughts. She just killed someone. Not just anyone, her friend. Back when she was an intern, he was the one to guide her through those hard first months. And she killed him.

She tried to shake away those thoughts and walked to the tent, pushing aside the green tarp that acted as a door. There were three beds, two IV's next to them, and a dead body in the corner. He must have died recently; she was only here for two hours before Jim attacked her.

Rochelle approached the corpse carefully, aware of what could happen. In his bloody hand, he held a machete. It lay next to a strange bottle of green liquid. She picked up the weapon, sliding it between her belt and DePeche Mode tee. Then, she picked up the jar and inspected the label.

There was a huge biohazard sign on the front. Small red text said: "Warning: Do not open. Contains highly dangerous materials."

She lowered the bottle. In its place, two gray hands clawed at her shirt. A scream began to rise in her throat, but it just got stuck and she couldn't breathe. As soon as she looked up at the infected man, she backed up, trying to reach for her the blade. He stumbled after her, coughing up blood with every rugged step he took.

Panicking, she threw the hazardous bottle at the zombie's ripped up torso. The container exploded, knocking him backwards and covering him with the green ooze.

Rochelle covered her nose and mouth, diving backwards behind the last bed. After a few seconds of frantic whimpering, she peeked over the side to see why he hadn't followed her.

As he stood there, angrily wiping the bile from his eyes, dozens of zombies swarmed in through the tent door and began beating each other mercilessly. Some of them started dropping to the ground, while others stood and took the punches. A green mist started clouding around them.

Rochelle sat back down behind the bed, heart pounding.

After a few minutes of catching her breath, the grunts and screams of the zombies ceased. Shakily, she drew out her machete. She ducked around the corner of the bed and looked to see how many were left.

Immediately, she regretted it.

Several more zombies were standing at the door, but this time they weren't killing each other. They were just standing there, looking around for something to eat.

* * *

"You looked like a dipshit."

Ellis opened his eyes too quickly. The bright sun blinded him and he grunted, shielding his face with a filthy hand.

"Hey! Talkin' to you."

He shifted his head and looked up to a shadowed face. His eyes still blurry, he blinked a few times. Not helpful at all.

"That thing was ridin' you! Shit, if you hadn't of gone an' hurt yourself, it woulda been the funniest shit ever."

"Keith?" Ellis managed to mutter. The blur stood up, offering a hand to Ellis. He could hardly see it. "Why can't I see?"

"You got a little blood in your eyes. That thing was scratchin' at your face like shit." When Ellis didn't take their hand, the figure sighed and kneeled down once more. "And I ain't Keith."

"Who are you, then?"

"Kelly. Nice to know I soun' like a Keith."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean nothin' like that. Don' be mad, I wasn't sure. I couldn't hear right. I'm sorry."

She chuckled. "You talk too much. C'mon, let's go meet who saved your ridiculous ass."

"Keith?"

Kelly stopped and eyed the man who was laying on the ground, staring up at her with an excess of hope. "Who the hell is this Keith? Your boyfriend?"

Shocked, Ellis stood and brushed off his overalls. "No! Nothin' like that! He's jus' a friend, is all."

"Mkay. Now, it's 'nother chick. You don't go callin' her a boy's name, alrigh'?"

He nodded. Kelly started to walk away and Ellis looked around him. He had been laying on the same filthy tile as when he passed out. The sun was shining through the giant glass windows, setting itself in the middle of the sky. Must be around noon.

Ellis turned to follow Kelly and nonchalantly itched his nose. He felt a band-aid and a sticky liquid. Inspecting his hand, he saw little streaks of blood across his dirty fingertips. He tore off the band-aid and felt the wound. It was simply a hole in his skin, dug by the claw of the monster.

Kelly was standing at the back of the kitchen, holding open a large silver door. She beckoned at him, her puffy brown jacket making a sheik noise across itself.

The mechanic hopped over the counter and bounded into the dark room, ready to thank his savior. He immediately hit a shelf full of frozen patties and a few fell to the floor. Mumbling apologies, he scrambled in the dark to retrieve them.

A bright light startled him.

"Ah! The fuck?"

"Watch your mouth, please." A soft, frail woman's voice spoke. Ellis searched the room for the girl and found her sitting on the floor next to a small portable lamp.

"Whu's wrong with her?" he asked Kelly, who now stood behind him.

"It's you. Wonder why I had to treat y'er wounds, even though she were the one to save ya?"

Ellis shrugged.

"Ya'll look exac'ly like 'er ex." Kelly whispered. "Well, he ain't her ex, more of her kinda bein' a widow. He's dead."

The head of frazzled blonde hair lifted and examined Ellis. She sobbed and put her head back down.

"Oh, shit, no, I'm sorry, don't hate me, I didn't mean to-" he scrambled to the floor and waved his hands around her shoulders, unsure about touching her. She cried again and leaned into his open arms.

"Aw, no, shush now, everythin'll be okay." He hovered his arms above her back for a few seconds, uncomfortable. Then he softly brushed her hair back and hugged her.

"I couldn't believe it..." she moaned. "I didn't-I didn't even believe it at first. I just said...I just told myself that he was gone, that he'd be back if I waited long enough. G-god, I'm fucking stupid..."

"Hey, ya'll watch yer language, please."

She looked up and stopped crying for a second. Ellis grinned at her and she smiled back.

"I'm sorry. I'm Shauna. You are?"

"Ellis."

Shauna sniffed and wiped her tears, breaking away from his embrace and standing on her wobbly feet.

"You may look like Kevin, but you remind me of my brother," she said with a feeble smile. Ellis returned it with his own huge grin.

Kelly sighed. "He was a sweetheart."

Shauna told Ellis her life story over flat soda. They were sitting in the broken freezer with the door wide open. Ellis and Shauna sat facing each other while Kelly was leaning on the door frame.

Shauna had grown up somewhere in Nevada for her first ten years, but when her dad got a new job offer they moved here. Here, she met Kevin, Kelly, and all her other friends. In fact, Kevin was her first and only boyfriend, who asked her to marry him on the beach near New Orleans.

"We were on a trip," her eyes lazily watched as she swirled her drink. "I wanted to see New Orleans so bad. He offered to drive, my parents insisted I go, all that crap. I guess he had them in on it, too." She took a large gulp. "That was the best day of my life."

She had the air of a drunk veteran telling war stories. Sad, but unfeeling. Angry, but soft.

"How'd he die?" Ellis sucked in his breath once he realized what he said. He watched Shauna carefully, mentally preparing for another breakdown.

Instead, she just brought the Pepsi cup to her lips. She didn't drink.

"Someone killed him."

Kelly walked outside. Ellis pretended not to notice, fixing his eyes on Shauna's pale face.

"It was right over there. Right outside the goddamn restaraunt." She pointed out the door at the parking lot. Ellis could see a body in the bushes, but didn't dare ask if it was Kevin. "The whole time he was being held at gunpoint, I was sitting in here. But he didn't scream. He didn't yell, 'Shauna, I need help.' Nothin'."

She grimaced and Ellis could see her expression break.

"But ya couldn't've helped him, anyhow. You walked out there, and whoever it was woulda shot you too."

"But the thing is, I don't know why. He could've just went with them. It was CEDA, y'know. They wanted to take us away, but Kevin refused. I heard a gunshot, but I thought it was Kevin, because he had a gun. After two days, I called Kelly and we've been here ever since."

"Why can't you jus' go home?"

Shauna stared at him for a few seconds, confused. Then she realized that Ellis had no idea what was going on.

"Wow, really? You don't know about the Green Flu? Where have you been all this time?"

Ellis picked dirt from his fingernails. "In a crappy li'l autoshop with a crappy li'l TV and a crappy li'l car."

"Must've been crappy."

"Nah. Was fun. I had Keith." His eyes lit up. "Man, I forgot! Ya'll needa meet Keith!" Ellis stood up excitedly. He looked around, but then his face dropped and he sat back down. "Oh yeah. Dammit."

"What? Who's Keith?"

Kelly walked back inside and leaned on a shelf. "Keith's his boyfriend," she snickered. Ellis turned and glared at her, a smile threatening to break from his lips. Trying his hardest, he held the look for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Just kiddin'! God."

"So what happened to Keith?" Shauna tapped Ellis on his broad shoulder and he pivoted on his bum to face her again.

"Ah, I dunno. We were like, sittin' in our autoshop, righ'? And this guy drives his car in, an' we were like, 'Yeah, a customer!' But he was strange. Named Dan. He was coughin' blood, all sick and shit. We was watchin' the news, and they were talkin' 'bout the Green Flu, but Keith was all, 'Reckon I see whut's outside?' Stupid Keith got kidnapped by a giant arm." He glared at his hand. "And I accidentally killed Dan. Poor sucker."

"Kidnapped? By an..._arm?_" Kelly sneered.

"Yeah, well, I didn't see much of it. He walked righ' on ou'side," Ellis's fingers mimicked a walking Keith. "And some giant _thing_ jus' ran super fast an' took 'im away." He slammed his fist into Keith's hand persona. "An' 'afore I knew it, they were gone."

The girls whispered "Oh" and stared at their hands. Silence began to creep its way into the room and Ellis watched them both, unsure of what to say.

"Ya'll should help me find 'im," he threw out there. It seemed to be what they were waiting for; they perked up and smiled.

"Yeah!" Kelly grinned. "A fuckin' adventure! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout."

Ellis beamed. "Heh, yeah, this one time, me an' Keith went on an adventure. We was lookin' fer gold, and we had this map-" Something crashed outside. Ellis's story fell silent and so did everything else. All he could hear was his own heart in his ears.

"I'll check it out?" Ellis suggested, getting to his feet quietly. Shauna held up a finger and reached behind one of the shelves. She handed him a fire escape axe. Ellis took it gratefully. "Much obliged." He noticed blood, and Shauna noticed him looking at it.

"It's what I used to save your ass," she whispered with a smirk.

* * *

_You're going to die._ Rochelle's inner voice declared. _Don't go through the front door, I said. Cut a hole in the tarp and sneak away. But what do you do? Go through the front door. You fucking dipshit. _

"Shut UP!" Rochelle screeched. Her spine was laying directly on a small pebble and it was driving her mad. Zombies were throwing their rotten fists into her gut, head, and legs. She couldn't get up off the cold ground no matter how hard she tried.

"I thought-" her throat started to fill with blood. "I thought I could make it. Rid the world of a few of these monsters. I'm so fucked..."

She shielded her face with her arms and locked her jaw. Cried out in pain.

The machete was two feet away from her reach, laying on the ground, glistening with the blood of the zombies she had managed to kill. Rochelle closed her eyes and hoped for a miracle; maybe an infected will kick it to her and she can save herself.

Blood showered on her. She assumed it was from the mouth of the zombie jumping on her hip. His foot collided with her bone again and she screamed, louder than before.

Suddenly, everything stopped. After a few frozen seconds, Rochelle opened her eyes and gasped for air, spitting blood in the process. Her body started to spasm and her stomach felt tight. But there were no more zombies; she looked to the left and was greeted by the severed head of a man.

She screamed, and a set of hands pressed down on her face, shushing her into whimpers. "Don't kill me, don't kill me, oh GOD..."

The man released her. "There is no God."


	3. Sunnyside Apartments

"DIE, BITCH!" Ellis brought the blade of an axe down on the head of a wandering infected, whose sobbing had been driving him mad for the past fifteen minutes. As her skull started to spurt blood, she threw out her hands and Ellis pulled out the axe. Her wail screeched in his ears as she turned and knocked him to the ground with giant claws.

"Oh, FUCK!" he crashed to the cement, swinging the hatchet back and forth in a futile attempt to protect himself. The zombie raised her hands above her head in preparation of tearing him to shreds. Ellis choked out a long, sore yelp of panic.

"Die, bitch!" A frying pan collided with the side of the girl's head. She ignored it and threw down her claws, beginning to tear at Ellis's arms and neck. Shauna tried again and swung the skillet sideways at her throat, snapping it with a disgusting sound as she fell silently to the cement, caked with Ellis's blood.

"Shit, dude, you gotta get up." Shauna helped Ellis to his feet and took gauze from Kelly. "Stand still."

She poured hydrogen peroxide on one side of the ribbon and rolled it over his wounds. Ellis's expression quickly turned sour. "That fuckin' HURTS, Shauna."

She threw him a sympathy smile and bent to pick up her weapon. "So, where to next? He wasn't at the bar. Where else did you say Keith goes?"

Ellis put his forefinger and thumb to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully. "Well, he goes to strippin' clubs, an' regular clubs, an' this one place by the city where this stripper-lookin' girl lives, but he does live with his girlfrien'-" Ellis paused, staring wide-eyed at Shauna. "His girlfrien's house! Of course! Why didn't I think of this b'fore?"

Kelly sighed angrily and switched shoulders with her cherry red electric guitar that she found in a trashed music store.

"Can ya'll jus' get movin'? This thing is fuckin' heavier 'n shit." She attached the strap and swung it around to her back. "Ugh. Tha's better."

"Alrigh'. Well, she lived over in the apartments down Elm Street. Not quite sure, but I think it's this way."

He gestured towards the direction of the city park. Kelly smiled for the first time in the past hour.

"Uh, Sunnyside apartments, right?"

Ellis nodded.

"Yeap, I used to live up in them parts. I know the right'a'way."

Shauna grinned and took her place next to her friend. They walked exactly opposite the direction Ellis pointed. He just stood there and glared.

"Well, ya'll coulda jus' _said_ I was wrong!"

* * *

"Can I have that back?"

"You can have this back when you admit that your God does not exist."

"What the hell? You just saved me, I'm grateful, but you don't have to be an ass about it! I believe what I want!" Rochelle stuck out her arm again, waiting for the man to give her back her machete.

"No, not while you're with me. Or while I'm helping you, I should say. Surviving is hard enough as it is, and the last thing I need is a prayin' little bitch on my tail. I'm gonna get somethin' outta this."

"My weapon?"

"Yep." He slid it in his belt and started to walk away. "Now you need to rely on me for protection. Besides, I can put this to much better use."

Rochelle trotted behind him, still fuming.

"So, if you need help, you just call me right on over and I'll kill all the bad zombies, okay?"

She just glared.

"Good girl. What's your name?"

"Why the hell should I tell you anything?"

"Saved your life."

They stopped in front of the entrance to Liberty Mall. The man opened the door and motioned for her to walk inside. She just stood there, eyeing the stranger and putting her hands on her hips. "Why're we here?"

"They had an evac in there. If we're lucky, we can probably still catch a flight outta here."

"I haven't seen anyone here all day."

"I didn't say anything about other people. Now, what's your name again?"

"Wait, what? How could we fly a helicopter without a pilot?"

He grinned. "We won't be without a pilot. And I believe I asked your name."

"Rochelle. But I'm only sticking with you because you have my machete."

They entered the mall, quickly and quietly, and followed the signs to the evac station. They saw a couple infected, but the stranger lopped off their heads before they could grunt. No one was at the evac, so they continued on and found an elevator that lead to the roof.

"What's your name?" Rochelle entered and pushed the button 'R'.

"Aidan Cooper."

She giggled. "Aidan?"

"What?"

"That sounds like a douchey name. I'll just call you Cooper. No, wait. Coop."

Coop turned and wrinkled his nose at his new nickname. "I don't like it."

"Well, too bad, Coop." Rochelle grinned.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. They walked out. The whole city was visible from where they were; fires burned and clusters of zombies ran through the streets. Nowhere looked normal.

Coop laughed and jogged towards the other end of the roof. Rochelle turned, about to scold him for laughing, but fell silent when she saw what he was running for.

I giant helicopter sat on the heli-pad, bloodstained and dirty. Cooper hopped into the pilot's seat, patting the co-pilot spot and smiling. She ran over and jumped in, closing the door behind her as the pilot started the rotor.

* * *

"Here it is."

Ellis stood in front of the giant wooden sign that said "Sunnyside Apartments" in giant golden letters. He stepped up to the gate and ran his hand along the black vertical bars.

"How're we gettin' in?"

Kelly stood beside him and unstrapped her guitar, setting it on the ground. "Gimme a boost."

Shauna walked to the other side of Kelly and knelt on the cement. Ellis raised an eyebrow at them both.

"The hell? Wouldn't it make more sense to lift up Shauna? No offense, Kel, bu' I think she's a whole lot lighter 'n you."

Both of the girls glared, neither moving from their positions. "I'm in a skirt, stupid." Shauna retorted.

"Yeah. And she can't climb shit like me. I did gymnastics and parkour."

"Alrigh', alrigh', calm down, girls. No need to get upset." He knelt and cupped his hands together. "Here, step on me first."

Kelly obeyed and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. They lifted her up cheerleader style, and she gripped the pointed tip of the bars with both hands. "Here I go." she grunted, lifting herself and hurtling over the gate. She landed in a roll and stopped on her feet. Catching her breath, she scanned the gate for a keypad or button to open it.

"There's nothing." she sighed desperately.

"What?" Shauna and Ellis both leaned into the gate and stared at Kelly. She stood and walked back towards them.

"I don' see nothin'."

"Check for a handle! Switch! Anything!"

Kelly shook her head solemnly and looked up to the top of the gate. "Any way I can come back?"

Ellis chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Nah, I don' see how you can climb over by yourself."

"Can we get over there?" asked Shauna. Again, Kelly shook her head no.

They stood there for a moment, separated by bars, unknowing what to do. The trees rustled and somewhere in the distance a helicopter started.

"What's Keith's apartment number?" Kelly's eyes flickered up to Ellis's. His narrowed in suspicion.

"Why?"

"I'm gonna go get 'im. Or his girlfrien', if he ain't there."

Ellis chipped the paint off of the bars. "You sure?"

She nodded.

"Apartment 28, building C. You got that?"

Kelly smiled and started jogging backwards, waving when she finally turned. They watched her round the corner of building A.

* * *

"Whitaker?" a man pressed his finger on a speaker button. There was no answer.

"Mr. Gun Man? Hellooo?" Again, silence.

The man stepped back and looked around the store. Guns lined the shelves, walls, and counters. There was a whole back room dedicated to first aid and safety. Prices ranged from two hundred to three thousand. Too bad the owner had no idea that a strange man was taking refuge in his gun shop, no matter how much he tried to contact him through a speaker near the back.

He sat in the corner again, cradling his shotgun and first aid kit. He faced one door and kept a distinct eye on the other.

Something clicked. The man looked around, searching for the noise. After a moment, he realized that the door in front of him was opening. He readied his gun, waiting for one of those hoodies or fat-asses to burst through. But instead, a bearded man walked out.

He sauntered around for a bit, obviously drunk. He paid no heed to the crouched figure in the corner, maybe not even noticing him. He danced about the shop, drinking out of a bottle and humming the national anthem.

"Goddamn hicks..." The man with the shotgun muttered. The dancer stopped and squinted in his direction, trying to see what had whispered.

"Who's there?" he slurred, stumbling in the direction of the voice. "Get outta my shop!" he yelled, pointing to the door. "Get outta here or I'mma shoot ya!" He picked up an M-16 with his empty hand and aimed it shakily at the corner. The suited man stood and walked forward, without hesitation.

In two seconds, he had pointed his shotgun at the drunk's face, pulled the trigger, and snatched the alcohol out of his hand. He sat back in the corner and took a swig of his winnings.


	4. So we meet

Shauna sat perched on her heels, knees together and palms on her lap. Balancing so well that her heartbeat was enough to rock her back and forth.

Next to her, Ellis was playing with his cap. Taking it off, putting it on. Taking it off, putting it on his knee.

Nothing happened. And nothing kept happening.

Ellis started to hum. Shauna closed her eyes and listened, trying not to panic for Kelly's prolonged absence. It had been about half an hour now, based on how far the shadows of the streetlights moved.

The soothing hym stopped. Shauna glanced over at Ellis, who was staring at the sky. She followed his gaze and saw miles of storm clouds approaching the city.

"Know wha's comin'?" Ellis's voice sounded raspy. Probably from staying quiet for so long.

Shauna shook her head. When she noticed Ellis wasn't looking at her, she replied no.

"Biggest storm o' the year. Been hearin' about this one since last month."

As if on que, a quiet rumble of thunder filled the air. The clouds flashed bright for a second, and another thunder clap echoed through the city.

"Where are we gonna go?" Shauna shifted her weight.

"I dunno. If we goin' find Keith-"

And then, the loud shriek of a car alarm; Shauna and Ellis looked at each other for a moment. "Kelly," they said simultaniously.

They jumped and turned, pressing their faces against the bars to see any sign of her.

She came running, full speed, back around the corner of building A. Her usually perfect curly hair was flying behind her, slightly frizzed and wet. Each time one of her brown boots collided with the black cement, a new shrill from the car called more zombies.

They shouted out to her, coaching her to go faster and demanding to know what happened. She didn't answer; she only kept running.

Behind her had to have been every single resident who lived in the apartments. Hundreds of people, running, shoving, stumbling over each other to get to Kelly, who reached the gate breathless, sweaty, and crying.

"What?! What did you do?!" Shauna screeched.

"No time, get me over! NOW!"

Ellis jerked the lock back and forth, rattled the gate, but was unable to break anything. He paused, breathing heavily. "I have an idea. Shauna, do this."

He stuck his arm through the bar and bent his elbow, gripping another bar with his hand. Shauna did the same, but lower, and Kelly stepped on their arms like stairs.

She gripped the tips of the bars, preparing to jump, when a zombie rushed forward from the crowd and grabbed her foot. Kelly struggled and kicked, trying to roll over the top.

She had her waist over, but she didn't notice a broken bar. When she tried to put her knee on it, it sliced through her flesh with a disgusting noise and wedged itself between her kneecap. She screamed and her hands slipped, forcing her forward. She swung down and slammed her head into the gate.

"Kelly!" Shauna yelled, trying to pull her down by her hands.

Kelly's face turned white as she looked up at her, blood starting to seep from her knee. "Help..."

Ellis stood on his toes and gripped Kelly by the waist, pulling her off before she could scream. It was a horrid sight; now that the blood flow was no longer blocked, red gushed out and started to coat her calf and boot.

"Le's go, Kel."

Ellis carried her princess-style. As they started running, Kelly started to nod off. He called out to Shauna, who was already waiting at the corner for him, bouncing on her feet and ushering him to go faster.

"Shauna! Would it be safe for her to sleep?"

Kelly moaned. She had a huge blue bruise on her forehead. They caught up to Shauna and started running side by side.

"I'm not sure." She said between breaths. "I think it's only for concussions that you can't sleep."

"Heh." Ellis panted. "It's a good thing I'm so buff."

* * *

_This isn't right. _

Rochelle pretended to watch the scenery fly by, but kept her eye on Coop. He was holding some sort of handle. The steering device, Rochelle concluded.

_He's no good. He's going to rape you. Abuse you. Kill you. You have to get away before he can hurt you._

Rochelle angrily dismissed her thoughts. If Coop was so bad, he wouldn't have rescued her in the first place. He could've just as easily left her to die. And he didn't.

A ways away, a building rooftop was smoking. Rochelle leaned forward and, as they got closer, could see letters spelled by black spray-paint. It read "HELP US".

"Hey, do you see that?" Rochelle pointed and looked over at her pilot. He glanced in that direction and pressed the cyclic forward. They flew by the building.

"Hey! There are people in there!" she turned and tried to look at the rooftop again. "We have to go back!"

"No, we don't. As far as we know, they're already dead. Or worse." he said in a low monotone. His buzz-cut blonde hair waved like grass in the open wind. Rochelle gazed at him, mouth open.

"Unbelievable. You _are_ a terrible person..." she muttered. "No! We're _going_ back." She leaned towards Cooper and grabbed the stick, pulling it right. Coop shouted and shoved her back, trying to stabilize the helicopter again. Unsuccessful, the entire cabin started to tilt, and an alarm began to blare.

"Dammit! We're losing altitude! You fucking retard, you've killed us!"

"God, I'm sorry! I didn't know-"

"Yeah, you don't know anything about helicopters! And now we're going to crash!"

"There's nothing we can do?!"

Coop stopped, breathing deeply and holding his face. "There's nothing _you_ can do..."

Coop flipped a few switches and buckled another seatbelt over his chest. "... seeing as you don't know anything about helicopters." he waved goodbye before pulling a handle, which opened the roof over his head. His seat ejected into the sky, leaving Rochelle screaming and alone in a helicopter careening for the ground.

The last thing she saw was Coop's parachute deploy.

* * *

"In here!" Shauna pulled open a door, ushering Ellis and Kelly inside.

"Find a first aid!" Ellis placed Kelly on the glass counter, hoping to God that it wouldn't collapse under a person's weight. "Geez, Kel, you really fucked yerself up back there." He tore a hole at her pants' knee as Shauna came back and handed him a kit.

"Kelly? Talk to me. You can't fall asleep, okay?" her friend hovered over her, touching her face and opening her eyelids. "Kelly? Say something."

Gibberish escaped from the girl's lips. Shauna sighed with relief and backed up, into a shelf that clattered on contact. She turned and examined it.

"Oh my God..."

Ellis finished sewing up the wound and started applying gauze. "What ish it?" he said, a roll between his teeth.

"Guns." she chuckled, covering her mouth. "We have guns!" her arms thrown in the air, she cheered shakily. Ellis ripped the gauze and tucked it, shaking his head and smiling a one-sided grin.

He moved onto her face, which had started bleeding near the brow. He lifted her head gently and quickly rolled the tape around, three times.

"Uh...Ellis?" Shauna's voice was quiet and unstable.

"Whut is it?" He didn't look up. If he dropped her head, it might just be enough to kill her.

Kelly opened her eyes and looked over at her friend. She gasped and tried to sit up, but couldn't. Ellis looked up and almost dropped Kelly.

"Who the hell're you?!" he shouted, lying her back and grabbing the nearest gun. He pointed it at a figure next to Shauna, who had her hands up in surrender.

"That's not what's important!" the man shouted, cocking his shotgun. He shoved it against the blonde's face. "Who are _you_ and what the _hell_ are you doing here?!"

"You leave 'er alone!" Ellis grabbed another rifle and aimed it at the stranger. He grit his teeth and awaited his reaction.

The man looked from one rifle to the other. He shrugged and pushed Shauna away.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave her alone. But _her_..." He used his gun to gesture at Kelly, who was breathing heavily with her eyes closed. "I get to kill."

Shauna and Ellis both stepped in front of Kelly. "No way!" They shouted.

"No, no, no. I need to. You see, I was watching you three. You came in here, expecting guns and shit for free. You wanted to treat your _infected_ friend. Well, I don't want her turning in here and killing me! The only way you live is if she dies!"

"What are you talkin' about, guy?! She ain't infected! She waddn't even bit!" Ellis stepped closer, extending one of the two rifles. From where he stood, he could smell alcohol on the stranger's breath. He shoved the rifle near his thin mouth.

The man turned his head to avoid touching the barrel. He smiled. "Ohh, no. Yes she was. I saw. You can't just sew up a bite and call her hunky-dorey. She's goin' to turn, and you're goin' to pay."

Ellis opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. He smiled and put both the guns down, backing up with his hands in the air. "Ohh, alrigh'. I get where you're comin' from, sir. You got us all wrong. We was jus' runnin' from a horde o' zombies, and she went to jump over this gate, an' her knee got stabbed by the sharp tip. It ain't no bite. Scout's honor." He lowered one hand over his heart and kept the other one raised.

"Scout's...?" The man in the suit chuckled. "Kid, you seem like the world's biggest idiot. But I guess... I guess that's why I can trust you."

* * *

"Girl? Girl, you okay?"

Rochelle tried to open her eyes. They seemed to be glued shut by exhaustion. She groaned, moving to rub her face, but found that it hurt. Like someone had broken all of her bones.

"Little girl. I need you to say somethin', now."

She turned her head and coughed.

"Or I'mma have to shoot ya."

"Oh! Yeah, I'm..." she winced at the pain. "I'm okay."

She peeled open her eyelids and found herself in the strangest position. She was halfway out the broken window of the helicopter, dangling down by her waist. When she opened her eyes, she saw the upside-down figure of a big man, but it looked more like a giant blob of purple shirt.

"Alright, here, let me help ya outta there." He pulled her out of the broken window and set her on her feet. She swayed for a second, closing her eyes and making sure she could stand and tell up from down. Once the sick feeling went away, she opened her eyes and smiled at the man.

"Thanks. For helping me. And not shooting me." She held out her hand, which was still very sore. "I'm Rochelle."

"Hello, Rochelle." He shook her hand roughly, causing pain. "My friends call me Coach."


	5. Alone again

"So as I'm climbin' this giraffe, like a tree, Keith is yellin' at me not to fall. So, naturally, I look down and get scared shitless! Turns out the giraffe, whilst I'm climin' it, ran over to the lion exhibit, an' now all the lions wanna eat my steed!"

Ellis's loud voice paused while he took a gulp from the alcohol in his hand.

"So this lion, a female, jumps onto my giraffe's neck, an' sinks 'er teeth in 'im! I'm kickin' an' screamin' at her, and eventually she falls, like, three stories down and breaks 'er back! So now, I'm thinkin', I'm an animal murderer!"

Nick stopped him with a raise of his hand. Ellis looked at him with wide eyes.

"So, why are you and this Keith guy robbing a zoo?"

"_Because_, Nick. They got all the best mammals." He hiccupped and handed the bottle to Shauna, who hesitantly took a sip.

"C'mon, girl! You're such a lightweight!" Ellis tipped the bottle upwards and forced a mouthful down Shauna's throat. She coughed and shoved him away, laughing.

Nick smiled and drank from his own personal bottle. He never risked other people's germs. "So why does that Keith fellow hang around such a stiff like you?" he asked Ellis. "He sounds like too smart of a guy to want to be your friend."

Ellis paused. He seemed thoroughly confused. "Well, heck. Idunno. Knew him forever, I guess."

"Did he know your Aunt Clara, or somethin'?" Nick smiled, but when Ellis just stared absently, he sighed and drew his knees closer to his chest. "Never mind. I shouldn't have expected you to read any books."

"Hey!" Ellis protested. "I read books! Just not recently."

A pile of blankets across the shop stirred. Kelly's face popped out, and she sniffed the air with a wrinkled nose. "Smells like vodka." She pointed out. "Who's not sharing?"

The drunk three laughed. "Everyone, Kelly." Shauna stood and stumbled towards her friend. "Everyone's not sharing."

Kelly held out her hand expectantly. "My head is killing me," she whispered. "What happened?"

"Kel, you hit your head on a fuckin' gate! You got yerself a pretty bad concussion. You can't be havin' any drinks." Ellis said, more to Shauna, who was handing over the bottle. She laughed and took it back, returning to the corner where Nick and Ellis sat.

She plopped herself down on Ellis's knee. "Ow!" he shoved her forward, towards Nick. "You got a _bony_ ass!"

Nick laughed, a high pitched giggle, and caught Ellis's eye. Ellis stopped laughing and stared back, at the man who almost killed all three of them, feeling a gush of warmth from his chest. But Nick closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Ellis found himself blushing. He immediatly looked for something to say.

"I was jus' kiddin', Shauna." He said, noticing her pouty expression. "Your butt is perfectly not-bony." he laughed. She giggled and pushed her butt towards him. He shoved her away again, snickering.

"You kids are ridiculous," Nick smiled.

Shauna fell back next to Ellis and leaned on his shoulder. He took another long chug, emptying their bottle. "Ohp." he handed it to her. "We're all out. Unless Nick wants to share."

Nick downed the last of his bottle and threw it across the shop. He smiled proudly as it shattered.

Shauna suddenly fell silent. Nick and Ellis looked humourously at each other, while she stared into space and bit her lip. Ellis smiled and started to speak, but was stopped by Shauna. She grabbed his face, turned it towards her and kissed him, her warm alcohol-breath stinging his eyes. Ellis raised his hands in the air, not sure of what to do. Eventually, he pushed her back by her shoulders and wiped his mouth.

"What are you doing?!" he held his hand over his mouth, afraid she might try to do it again.

She turned bright red and opened her mouth to speak. She closed it, opened it again, and closed it. Like a fish trying desperately to breathe.

"No. Just...no. I'm sorry, Shauna. No." He stood and walked unsteadily towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" Nick's voice was too loud for Ellis's sudden headache.

"I'm jus' goin' to get some air." he said over his shoulder. He closed the door gently behind him and sighed.

As he sat himself down on the cold cement, he grimaced. In just a few seconds, he suddenly wasn't the kind of drunk where he wanted to have fun. He felt lonely drunk, the kind where you only wanted to lay down and sleep. He felt like the middle-aged men who sit in bars, drinking themselves to death, wondering what the hell happened to their lives. To their wives.

He layed down on his side and tightened his overall straps. He wondered what was going on in there. He wondered if Kelly saw what happened. If she did, even with her concussion, she'd tear Ellis a new one.

The night was crisp and cold, slightly foggy, and Ellis's eyes stung with lack of sleep. He closed them and let the black take him.

* * *

When he woke, the hollow sounds of shotgun blasts filled the air. He sat up and realized that dozens of zombies were running around, hurtling fences and slamming themselves against the shop's door. None paid any attention to him.

He stood and pushed his way through the zombies to get the door open. He burst through, and the grunting infected followed. They ran around him and out the other door, which was hanging wide open.

Another zombie shoved by him and he grabbed a shotgun. "Excuse you!" Ellis yelled, aiming at the zombie's head and pulling the trigger. It fell to the ground, headless and no longer snarling.

He killed the remaining zombies and locked the door. He jumped over the counter to where Kelly and her blankets lay. He kneeled next to her as he reloaded his shotgun. "Kelly?" he whispered. He could see her brown head of hair turn.

Scratch.

Ellis peeked over the counter.

Scratch.

Suddenly, a huge hole burst in the door. And on the other side, a hooded figure crouched on all fours. Ellis could swear it growled at him.

And then it jumped.

With a high pitched, ear splitting screech, it flew over the span of the shop, over the counter, and straight towards Kelly. It landed sitting on her torso and threw out its arms, knocking Ellis on his back.

Kelly screamed. She fully woke for the first time since she hit her head. She woke to claws in her gut and her best friend gone.

The hooded zombie pulled at her blankets, then her jacket, shirt; eventually it was pulling at her skin. Blood started to fly everywhere.

"Oh God..." Ellis grabbed for his blood-soaked shotgun. He cocked it and blew the hoodie's chest apart. It stumbled off Kelly, covered in both hers and his own rotting blood. One more shot and it shrieked, falling to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"Kel. Kel, wake up." he shook the girl and uncovered her face. Her eyes were closed, but sunk into her head. They looked bruised, purple against her pale skin. Her mouth was white and wrinkled. With a shaking hand, Ellis felt her neck and found that she was dead.

"No...No, no no no." He stood and covered his nose from the stench of rotting blood. Looking around, the place was a bloodbath. The floor, which used to be blue, was now a deep red. And there was no sign of Nick or Shauna.


	6. Meet the Saviors

"And after Kel died, I couldn't find Nick or Shauna anywhere."

Ellis sat on a white table next to his shotgun. A man sat on the floor in front of him, and a woman was reclining, shoes off, on the sofa across the room.

Ellis could not help but expect sympathy from the two. Instead, the man's booming voice filled the room.

"That's _all_?"

The woman in the pink shirt laughed and covered her face. Ellis drew his knees in, the way he remembered Nick do so. "What d'you mean?" he looked at each innocently; eyes wide, mouth ajar, and eyebrows drawn up.

"It took you _three days_ to speak to us. Even after that, you still took another _two_ just to tell us your story. I was startin' to believe that some crazy phsyco killer turned into a zombie while he was killing your family and you were the only survivor."

"Coach," the woman had a tone of discipline in her voice. The subtext of her words said, 'too far.'

Coach shrugged and continued to wipe the blood off his baseball bat. "Look, boy. You met those kids...what, two days before you watched them die?"

Ellis opened his mouth to correct him. _Only one died, Coach. The others are still alive_, he wanted to say. But Coach kept going.

"If I were you, I'd be more hurtin' over...what's his face's death."

"Keith." Ellis said quietly. _He ain't dead either, Coach._ He knew his thoughts to be rock solid facts.

"_Coach._" the girl almost sounded hostile.

"It's okay, Rochelle. He's right." Ellis smiled. He always smiled. "We should get goin' anyhow." He slid down from the table and handed Rochelle her crowbar. She sat up, shoving her feet into her boots.

Ellis opened the door and a swarm of bugs flew into his face. He swatted absentmindedly at them and stepped into the swampy water. Rochelle hopped onto his back and he started to wade, submerdged up to his hips.

Ro's boots tapped the surface of the muck every time Ellis took a step. Their clothes were still stained from the last time they went through mud. Rochelle decided to wash hers yesterday; maybe just an excuse to get the boys to carry her. Today was Ellis's turn. Tomorrow, Coach's.

An hour of wading through the swamp, and already Ellis felt the deep rumble of hunger in his gut. He adjusted the girl on his back, who seemed to have fallen asleep, and Coach offered to take her. He smiled and shook his head no.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I got 'er. Plus, movin' her might wake 'er up."

"Alright, boy." Coach pushed some bushes out of Ellis's way. He stepped forward, but was jerked back unexpectedly.

"What the fuck!" Rochelle fell off his back, into the mud, and rubbed her eyes. "Ellis! Where are you going?"

Ellis was being dragged screaming through the mud by some slimy rope. As it winded around his chest, up his shoulders and around his neck, he could not help but think that he was being dragged away by an intestine.

"Guys!" He yelled. "Help!"

"Just shoot it!"

He struggled with his shotgun, their only gun, as he watched Coach and Rochelle chase him. _They'll never catch up,_ Ellis thought as he grunted and screamed. _I'll be dragged into some monster's mouth and be eaten and there's nothin' they can do about it._

Before he knew it, he was breathing the swamp. A pair of arms wrapped around him, the rope tightened, and the air turned to smoke. Smoke that he could not breathe, no matter how hard he tried.

_This is it._ he thought. _I'm in the snake's deadly grasp._

And then smack. The hollow sound of Coach's baseball bat colliding with something hard.

He was forced forward by some sort of green explosion. His lungs drew in air, but it was poison. He coughed, tried to smile, and coughed again. It was one of those embarassing coughs that sounded wet and disgusting.

Rochelle and Coach patted his back; Coach much harder.

"Le's go..." Ellis said in a raspy tone. "Ah, I swear, that guy was one hell of a smoker when he was alive."

Because of his coughing fits, Rochelle decided that Ellis needn't carry her anymore. After an incident like that, she should leave sleeping for the saferoom.

They came upon a small gated village. Its shacks and sheds were constructed from soggy wood and rusting metal. Ellis rattled the gate, not expecting it to be open. After all, he didn't exactly have the best of luck with gates.

"Should we leave?" the mechanic ran his hand on the fence, then wiped the mud onto his overalls.

"Nah," Coach tapped it with his bat. "Could be people in there. Or better; food."

"Here," Rochelle crouched and shoved her arm through a hole at the bottom of the fence.

She unhooked her crowbar from her beltloop and struck the dirt, using it to dig a hole that was big enough to fit through. The crowbar was set aside and her pink shirt dissapeared in the hole. "C'mon," she whispered, reaching back and grabbing her weapon.

Ellis went prone and crawled on his elbows. "Look guys!" he smiled. "I'm in the army!"

Coach shook his head and shoved himself through the hole. It took him a while; being bigger and all.

After they all were on the inside of the fence, they turned around to see the back of a house. Standing on his toes, Ellis looked into one of the windows and saw two figures.

They appeared to be talking. One, wearing a pair of blue dirty overalls, handed a paper to the other, who was wearing black ones. The blue overalls left and black overalls sat down, crumpled up the paper, and crossed his legs. There was something strange about him, but Ellis couldn't put his finger on it. And then the man looked up and spotted the eavesdropper in his window.

"Shit!" Ellis ducked back down and motioned for his friends to move.

"What is it?" Rochelle tried to stand, but slipped in the mud and landed back on her ass.

The back door of the house slammed open and the figure came out. He stood, looming over the three on the ground. Coach, for the first time ever, actually seemed afraid.

Looking up at him, Ellis could see what was strange about the man. He was wearing a gas mask.

--------------

They sat awkwardly in this other man's home. Rochelle had asked to use the restroom, so it was only Coach, Ellis, and the stranger, who had not yet removed his mask. They were sitting in the living room. Gas Mask looked from one intruder to the other, those ruby-red circles shining by the one lamp on the table.

Coach was tapping the baseball bat in his hands. Tap. Tap. Tap.

A giant bug flew repeatedly against the window. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Ellis's foot found itself a rhythm as well.

"Listen, mister-" Coach started.

Gas Mask held up his hand and stopped him. The air was still as he pulled off his mask.

Rochelle returned from the bathroom. When she walked in, she caught her breath in her throat and stopped walking.

"'ello. M' name's Colin. Nice to make your aquaintances." The man smiled. The three intruders just stared.

"Are...are you British?" Ellis leaned forward with interest.

Colin chuckled. A long, hearty, chuckle. "No, mate. I'm from Australia." His words were shortened and lengthened in the strangest places. _Nooo,_ he seemed to say. When he said Australia, he pronounced it _horsetrailah._

"Australia." Rochelle repeated dreamily. Colin laughed again.

"Don't drag it on so much, roo." His bright blue eyes glistened with his smile.

"Why are you _here_ when you could be in Australia?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, I got here, what, last year? I was traveling the world, y'know, looking for the adventure my life needed. And then, well, you should know why I'm stuck here."

Ellis leaned forward and grabbed his gas mask off the table.

"Oh, yeah, that." said Colin. "I don't really know why we wear those, actually. The Saviors say it's to keep from breathing the evil."

"The Saviors?" Rochelle sat next to Ellis, who was stretching the strap as far as he could.

"Wait, wait, wait." he let go of the strap, which snapped loudly, and pointed at the air around him, swirling his finger round and round. "Infection ain't airborne. I been breathin' this air for weeks and I'm alrigh'. It's fine, believe me."

The Aussie looked at him doubtfully, eying him up and down as if to confirm that he wasn't a zombie. Then he shrugged, stood up, and walked ten feet to the kitchen. He came back with three beers.

"Aw! Man! I been wantin' one of these for days!" Ellis laughed as he was handed his drink. He opened it and took one long chug.

"Yeah," Colin handed one to Coach. "Tinnies are hard to come by. Cherish it. They haven't a bottle shop within a hundred miles o' here."

Shaking her head at the beer Colin offered her, Rochelle sat back and crossed her legs. "So, who are the Saviors?"

Colin took his seat. "Well, our Saviors, obviously. They came in and took charge o' this dump; feeding us, clothing us, even boosting morale; with them here, everything will come good. I say we'd be dead right about now if those two hadn't shown up."

"Could we meet with them?" Coach sipped his beer.

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that, mate." He picked up the crumpled paper off the floor and flattened it out. "It says here...in our new guidelines...that I am required to kill any trespassers."

The room froze and Ellis coughed. "What?!" he furiously wiped the beer off his chin.

"Woah, there! I ain't gonna!" he stood and gestured for his guests to stay seated. "I know, it's obsurd, but they're the rules!"

The three looked nervously at each other. Colin ran his fingers through his sandy hair, which almost matched the tone of his skin. "Look," his voice lowered. "I know they aren't the two best blokes on the block. They say one used to be an illywhacker. But they know what they're doin'."

Rochelle took the paper and flattened it on her knee. It was scribbled on binder paper; torn from a notebook with the frizzies still on the left side. "Rule One: We are the last of our kind in the world. Rule Two: We are our own colony; a nation into which no one else is allowed. Rule Three-" she scoffed and looked up at Colin. "What is this, Fight Club?" He shrugged and she scanned past the five rules, to the section labled NEW. "Newest guidelines: kill all trespassers; no wandering after dark; report any zombie seen within a two-mile radius; food will now be brought to your doorstep; and finally, our new meetings are at sunrise. See you there!"

Colin sighed and took his seat again. "We get a new one just about each day."

"Meetin'? At sun-up?" Ellis snapped his fingers. "Take us there! We'll talk to the Saviors ourselves!"

The Aussie furrowed his brow and leaned forward.

"C'mon, Collie!" the mechanic grinned. At that, Colin's expression broke and he laughed.

"Alright, fine. But I warned you."

"Awsome." Ellis clapped his hands and stood up. "Now, about the sleeping arrangements. I'd prefer if you'd let us all crash out here. And about a shower? I'm pretty sure we could all use one of those. Well, except you, sir, you're fine. Do ya'll have plumbin' out here? I mean, toilet holes are fine, but you got hot water, right?"

Rochelle and Coach put their heads in their hands and laughed.

* * *

Nick pocketed his pen and rapped on the third door today. _Godammit,_ he thought. _I ain't no census taker. If that douche makes me do one more humiliating-_ His thoughts were inturrupted when the door in front of him opened. He put on his best smile for the young girl who stood in front of him.

"Hello," he sang. "Parents home?" he looked over her dark head for possibly a mother in the kitchen - cooking what she could for lunch - or a father sitting blatantly in the living room. No such luck.

"No," her voice was raspy. She cleared her throat and tried again. "No, it's just me."

"May I come in then?" At her questioning look, he held up his clipboard and pen, clicking it rapidly. The action said, I'm here on official business. Clipboards are official business.

He sat on her whethering couch and wrote the adress on the first line. It was only binder paper, it was all they had, but he still felt like a cop on a serious case. Now, tell me where he touched you. Where did you last see him? He was Mexican, eh? Aren't they all.

In spite of Nick's humorous manner, the girl sat grimly on the chair in front of him. She wore a white summer dress, with pink flower pedals blooming from the neckline. There was a stain of blood on the pedals, turning pink pedals into magenta. It was faded, looking as if she's been scrubbing at it for days.

"So, miss...?"

"Eve."

"Eve." Nick repeated, scribbling it on the paper. "Last name?"

She shook her head, screwing her eyes closed in an attempt to remember. Nick spared her the energy and continued anyways.

"Okay...how long you been here, Eve?"

"A week."

"Alright..." he wrote that down. "Any living family?"

"No."

"No...living...family. Got it." He looked up and saw the uneasy expression on her face. He leaned forward and set a hand gently on her knee. "Look, most of us here, we have no family either. We're orphans. Fighting a battle where the only goal is survival. We're your family now, kid." He smiled a fake friendly smile and leaned back, pretending to write something on the clipboard. Secretly, it was just a stick person. At the next house, when he got bored, he'd probably draw a stick zombie coming after the poor fella.

Eve smiled and brushed a lock of black hair out of her eyes. Nick could tell from her no-nonsense short-as-her-ears haircut that she used to be a strong, independent girl. Of course, that's different now, but still.

Nick sensed he was pretty much done here - besides, this friendly 'I care about your feelings' crap was getting to him - and got to his feet. The girl stood and saw him out the door.

"Thanks for your time, Eve. I'll see you again soon." he shut the door behind him and hopped down the steps, on his way to the next house.

He knocked with the clipboard, the wood-against-wood sounding pleasant to his ears. The door rattled and swung open. He was greeted by the newest member of the colony, the Aussie, Colin David.


End file.
